Sunday, October 28, 2012

Signature fist of Choy Lay Fut

Some of the techniques of the Choy Lay Fut
system are based in these five animal concepts that were passed down from the
southern Shaolin temple. Among the five animal techniques, the Choy Lay Fut
practitioner is known for one animal technique in particular, the Chop Choi or
panther fist. Unlike the tiger which relies on its strength, the panther relies
on its speed and accuracy. Utilizing the Chop Choi first requires a firm
understanding of the structure, fighting concepts and training methods that all
serve to make this technique one of the most devastating strikes in the Choy
Lay Fut arsenal

Panther Fist

The panther is a fast
agile animal; in the martial arts the panther represents speed. The Chop Choi
is a quick darting punch, similar to the jab from western boxing. The Chop Choi
is aimed at specific points such as the ribs, solar plexus, throat and temple.
The Choy Lay Fut practitioner makes up for the Chop Choi’s lack of blunt force
by quickly and ferociously attacking these weak points on the human anatomy.

The Chop Choi is made by curling the fingers at the second knuckle and placing
the thumb against the index finger for support. Correct placement of the thumb
is crucial to the formation of the Chop Choi. Correctly done the thumb serves
to unify the rest of the digits on the hand into one striking surface.
Incorrect formation of the Chop Choi will reduce the amount of force the fore
knuckles can support and will not only weaken the strike but can also result in
broken fingers. Awkward and unnatural at first, once properly learned the Chop
Choi has an advantage over the conventional fist. Using the fore knuckles as
the striking surface the Choy lay Fut practitioner reduces the area of impact
and concentrates the force of this piercing strike into a smaller target area.
In essence, using the fist is used like a spear as opposed to a battering ram.
By using the fore knuckles the Choy Lay Fut practitioner will also gain a few
inches of extra reach which may seem insignificant, but can make an enormous
difference in real life and death combat.

Here I am demonstraiting the a Chop Choi at the front gate of the Original Shaolin Temple in Henan, China

There are many variations of the technique
but the most commonly used are Yerng (yang) chop and Yum (yin) chop. The Yerng
chop travels at an upward diagonal direction from the waist into the opponent’s
torso. Yum chop travels downward from the ear using a twisting motion to
further drill the fist into the target. These techniques are usually used in
combination to attack the same target area or “gate“. The Gate theory is the
division of the body into sections for offense or defense. In Choy lay Fut the
body is divided into 12 gates consisting of left/right gates,
upper/middle/lower gates, and interior/exterior gates. Opening a gate refers to
drawing the opponent’s attention to a certain gate and then attacking it’s
opposite gate. Destroying a gate refers to continuously attacking (Lin Wan
Kuen) a specific gate until the opponent can no longer defend it. Continuous
attack (Lin Wan Kuen) with the Chop Choi is often employed to destroy a gate
but can also be used to open it. The slight angle of each the yerng/yum Chop Choi
combination can be used to precisely attack around the opponents guard opening
the gate.

Students at NFMA practicing the Yerng Chop/Yum chop combination

Both of these techniques are commonly used
from the Horse stance (Mabu) position. The horse stance is used by the Choy lay
Fut practitioner in combat from a sideways position. From the front the horse
stance has limited strength and exposes many vital targets. However using the
side horse stance limits the amount of exposure to attack. Using the correct
structure from the side horse stance directs the force of the entire body
pushing from the ground directly into the strike while simultaneously
transferring the rebounding force of the strike through the body directly into
the ground. There is a simple test used by the Choy Lay Fut practitioner to
test the structure of both the stance and Chop Choi. Assuming the horse stance
position execute a yerng chop and allow a partner to push your fist. The key to
this structure is maintaining a straight line from your fist to the rear
shoulder, keeping the back straight and the stance sunken. When correctly done
the Choy Lay Fut practitioner should only feel the force in the rear leg.

Conditioning the Hand

In order
to properly use the Chop Choi at full power the Choy lay Fut practitioner needs
to undergo special training. There are several training methods traditionally
used to gradually reinforce, strengthen and condition the Chop Choi. Until the
Chop Choi has been sufficiently conditioned the beginning student can
substitute a regular fist while using the fighting concepts previously mentioned.

The first step to attaining a properly conditioned Chop Choi is to reinforce
the fist by training the stabilizing muscles in the wrist and hand. Since the
striking surface is smaller when using the fore knuckles extra attention should
be paid to the stabilizing muscles. This is done by performing pushups while
maintaining the Chop Choi fist formation. Most beginners begin this exercise on
a thin pad since the hard floor can be painful. In addition if the beginner
cannot perform pushups in this position they can also hold the position at
varying heights to begin strengthening the fist before performing full pushups.

There are several different methods of training the striking surface of the
chop Choi. The two most common are the wall bag and the “iron palm” bag. These
bags are can be filled with a variety of substances. In the early stages of
training the bags can be filled with rice or dried beans. In the later stages
they can be filled with sand, gravel or even steel shot. The iron palm bag is
used by sitting in a horse stance and continuously striking the bag with
increasing force. This can be done for either a certain number of repetitions
or for a predetermined length of time. The wall bag is used by first standing
in a natural position and lightly striking the bag. After a sufficient amount
of strength has been built, the bag can be struck at full force with the
yerng/yum chop combination. Similar to theiron palm bag the wall bag can be
struck for a certain number of repetitions or a predetermined amount of time.

In addition to these strengthening methods, other methods of finger and hand
strengthening should be used. Examples include fingertip pushups, grip
training, weight training including finger lifts, wrist curls and the wrist
roller.

www.HungSingChoyLayFut.com

Sifu Chris Childs is a 6th generation instructor of Choy Lay Fut Kung Fu under Grand Master Sam Ng. Sifu Childs has practiced the Choy Lay Fut method for over 10 years and in that time has placed 1st in several national and international martial arts tournaments and has participated in hundreds of martial arts demonstrations throughout the world. Sifu Childs was certified as an instructor of the Choy Lay Fut method in 2005 by the Ng Family Chinese Martial Arts Association and received another instructor certification in 2013 by the Chan Heung Choy Lay Fut Founder Association of Hong Kong. Sifu Childs has dedicated himself to the promotion and dissemination of the Choy Lay Fut method. With that goal in mind he has authored several articles for Kung Fu Taichi magazine, taught seminars throughout the united states, published numerous videos displaying and teaching Choy Lay Fut and also continues to teach students though his own martial arts school, the Hung Sing Martial Arts Association.